Musical Direction Types

 

Here's something that I'd like to talk about later, but I should probably bring up now, so that I can go into soundtracks and music in more detail. First of all, as with every post I make here, I should mention that I'm not at all professional at what I'm talking about, I just enjoy it so I'm talking about it and saying what I've found out, discovered or think.

Obviously it's necessary for soundtracks to have a recognizable theme in the movie they belong to, it's one of the definitions and necessities of a soundtrack, that it has a theme for a character or event or story. But how that theme is carried out and what's done to it can often differ, obviously in more than one way. One of those ways being what type of method the theme is given.

A theme can be reoccurring throughout a movie, and used in different ways. There are obviously lots of ways that it can be used differently, sometimes to the point that you barely recognize it anymore, or sometimes it's reused with additional strings. This is Method 1 that a theme can be given. By the way, I'm giving the methods numbers because I'm hoping I'll be able to refer to it again later- although, of course, I'll have to remind myself of which is which so the numbers will probably be superfluous. However, Method 1 is very common, used often in superhero movies, and that's partially why I've labeled it as the 1st method.   

Another method is the theme being complete throughout the movie and used in several different ways, but it's brought to a climax and ultimate conclusion. This is Method 2, also very common and, although I can't think of any type of movie that commonly uses this, you can find it in several places. One beautiful model of this method is How To Train Your Dragon (2010) by John Powell (Bourne Ultimatum, X-Men: Last Stand) where the theme is quite distinct but it's at its best and comes to the climax at the end (Track title: Coming Back Around)

Method 3 is where there is a distinct theme throughout, but it's more often being hinted at and other themes are brought in. Then, at the end, when the character has 'earned' the theme, it's played out completely. This method is actually what brought the different types of working out a theme to my attention, in an interview with composer Steve Jablonsky (Transformers, Ender's Game). In the interview, another one of his project's- Steamboy- is mentioned, and the interviewer states that the main theme is, as I've explained, fully played, simply (by no means dull) when the character has earned it. Steamboy is the best example- so far as I know- of Method 3.

By the way, this final way being where I got my idea of the methods, this method is actually real. But it brought to my attention the use of themes. In a sense this is the language of music- or rather a small part of the huge language of music- similar to dialects.

Now I've explained all the different methods. It will be interesting trying to label which method a soundtrack uses and also why they sometimes don't use a different method. I need to remember, however, that the methods can often mix. In fact, though the 3 versions are fairly different from each other, it can be easy to mix them up. It's quite possible for a composer doing Method 1 to bring in some of Method 3 by completing the theme and going beyond what he's already managed. It's also possible to mix them up because, though it sounds like a composer might be doing Method 2 he is in fact doing Method 3, by having, rather than grand conclusions, key elements that reach a peak.

Anyway, I've explained it. And I would like to get to actually reviewing a soundtrack, but I'm still trying to figure out what I'm actually doing and how to do it. So, I think I might get further into figuring out these methods- and also if there are more methods to be found. Unfortunately I'm finishing this up rather late and I can't get to it now. So I'll try to figure out what I'm doing next, in the meantime listening to music and studying what pattern they take: Throughout Theme, Climax Theme or Earning?